It's all make believe
by Lakritzwolf
Summary: Written for the Fallout Kink Meme on LiveJournal: F!C has a thing for Boone. Boone would rather screw a cactus, so Arcade proposes an arrangement to keep her out of the sniper's hair. They're both surprised when things don't stay business-like for long...
1. Chapter 1

Written for the Fallout Kink Meme on LiveJournal: _Arcade/Boone, fake gay rescue. Female!Courier has serious issues. She's also got it bad for Boone. Boone would rather screw a cactus, so Arcade proposes a business arrangement to keep her out of the sniper's hair (so to speak). They're both surprised when things don't stay business-like for long._

* * *

><p>The suite tended to be dark and silent at this time of night, so when Arcade headed for the bathroom he was a little surprised to see light in the kitchen. On his way back, he glanced through the half opened door and saw Boone sitting there, a beer in his hand, several more on the table. Not wanting to disturb he was about to withdraw himself again when Boone turned his head.<br>"Am I making too much noise?"  
>"Not at all." Arcade leaned into the doorframe. "I was just wondering who was up."<br>"Huh. Not hard to guess. Tanya's down at the Gomorrah again. As usual."  
>Arcade made a non-committing noise in his throat. Boone in turn knocked the bottle back, placed it on the table and reached for another one in a much too business-like manner.<br>"Just what are you trying to achieve?", Arcade asked, pushing himself off the doorframe and taking a step into the kitchen.  
>"Getting drunk."<br>Crossing his arms, Arcade went down onto a chair beside him. "You seem to be in a hurry."  
>"Someone appointed you babysitter?"<p>

Leaning back with a snort, Arcade crossed his arms. "Just plain, blatant curiosity. Why are you in such a hurry to get drunk?"  
>Boone took a healthy swig from his beer. "So I'm in no state to be reasoned with when she comes back."<br>Arcade felt his eyebrows raise of their own accord. "Uhm?"  
>"When she's drunk she'll always bring the issue up of me needing to have another woman in my life."<br>"Oh?", Arcade said and then his brain made the connection between the two facts. "Oh. Oh!" He scratched his neck. "Uhm. I gather you're... not interested?"  
>Boone scoffed. "I'd rather screw a cactus."<br>Arcade cleared his throat and after a pause, he asked: "Did she... you know... propose anything?"  
>After knocking the bottle back again Boone rolled his eyes before answering. "That girl jumps out of her pants for anyone who so much as asks. Fuck, most times they don't have to ask. And she even fucked Benny, that piece of work what tried to kill her." He suppressed a belch. "Bit too much traffic going on there, if you ask me."<br>"Some men wouldn't mind."  
>"I'm not some men."<br>"I realise that. But... well, I wouldn't know. Have you told her you're not interested?"  
>Boone glared at Arcade over the rim of his bottle. "Several times."<br>"And what did she say?"  
>"That I ought to put my late wife behind me at some point." He sighed angrily. "Don't have the heart to tell her it's not because of Carla but because of her. Yet."<br>"What's keeping you here then?"  
>Boone took his time to think of an answer. "Gave my word", he finally said after a sip of beer. "Get to kill more Legion bastards." Then he shrugged. "If this goes on any longer, though..."<p>

"I see." Arcade stared thoughtfully at the collection of empty bottles. "She's never given me any eyeball."  
>"Cause she knows you're... not into girls", Boone gave back without taking his eyes off the bottle.<br>Arcade couldn't suppress a small grin. "You can just say that I'm queer."  
>Boone cast him a look from the corner of his eyes, but his lips twitched. "I guess you're lucky in that case."<p>

"You know", Arcade said after a moment's consideration. "You might just tell her you're a fag, too. I don't know if lying like an old hag is your style, but you could say that your wife's death has opened your eyes for what's really inside you... that sort of stuff."  
>Boone shook his head. "I'm not good at this kind of shit."<br>"Hm." Arcade leaned back again and considered this a bit more. "I might be able to help you out."  
>Boone looked up again, eyebrows rising.<br>"Depends on you, though. I'm a fag, and she knows it. I could imagine that if you'd set yourself up with another girl she wouldn't give up trying to win your... heart... but..." He trailed off and looked at Boone.  
>"Damnit", Boone replied after a small, pregnant pause. "Think that'll work?"<br>Arcade gave him a winning smile and pushed his glasses up his nose. "We can but try, can't we?"

**LJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJ**

Tanya still hadn't returned when Arcade and Boone met again for breakfast. Boone laid the table – that is, he shoved the empty bottles to one side with a sweep of his arm and dropped a packet of Fancy Ladies onto the cleared space.  
>"Nothing else left."<br>Arcade took one of the cakes and shrugged. "Guess it's shopping day then."  
>Boone sat down and opened a beer.<br>"Liquid breakfast?"  
>"Huh."<br>Arcade leaned back in his chair and pushed his glasses up. "Listen, Craig. I've been thinking about last night's conversation."  
>His bottle halfway up to his lips, Boone froze.<br>"Don't look at me like that, I'm not going to pull out on you. All I wanted to say was you have to be aware of the fact that to make it believable, it will involve some sort of... physical contact."  
>Boone slowly put the bottle down again. "I was aware of that", he replied levelly.<br>Arcade tilted his head.  
>"One thing, though", Boone added, almost as an afterthought. "Keep your hands off my dick or wear your fingers as a necklace."<br>Arcade chuckled. "Don't worry. Far be it from me to insult your delicate sensibilities. You're not really my type anyway."  
>Boone glared a few daggers at Arcade.<br>"Sorry, Craig." Arcade dragged a hand down his face and cleared his throat. "I have to keep in mind that this kind of charade isn't the most easy one for you to do."  
>Crossing his arms, Boone leaned back. "Will I have to kiss you?"<br>Arcade goggled at him, then swallowed. "...Possibly...", he answered in a hesitating drawl. "Can you stand that?"  
>Boone looked at the ceiling as he spoke. "I can do what I must as long as I don't have to go back to Novac."<br>"Well..." Arcade said a little helplessly.

With a shrug, Boone got up. "I just hope she doesn't pick up on us. She'll fall into a hissy fit so loud it'll make Caesar's ears ring."  
>Arcade suppressed a chuckle. "I guess we only have this one try then." His eyes followed Boone as he walked around the table, coming to halt beside his chair. "Hm?"<br>"Get up", Boone said. "I gotta make this look right. How do you kiss a man?"  
>Feeling suddenly a little fluttery in the stomach region Arcade got up as well. "What? A rehearsal?"<br>Boone grunted in reply. Arcade was suddenly at a loss for words. Boone went at this with his usual ruthless efficiency of a practised soldier.  
>Facing him, Arcade shrugged. "Not so much differently than a woman, I guess. I wouldn't know, though."<p>

Boone took a deep breath. Nothing happened.

Arcade pushed up his glasses, then shrugged and took them off, placing them on the table beside him. "Would you prefer me to take the initiative in this instance?"  
>Looking almost relieved, Boone nodded. "Yeah."<br>Giving him what he thought was a reassuring smile Arcade leaned forward, cupped Boone's face in his hands and placed his lips tenderly onto his. Boone flinched back as if he'd been burned. His face pinched even tighter than usual and his cheeks flushed red, he took a few steps back and began pacing through the kitchen.

Arcade watched this with a deep sigh. Boone heard this and stopped, then stared at the doctor with widening eyes. "You sick fuck."  
>"What?" Arcade lifted his hands. "I did only what you asked me to!"<br>"I didn't ask you to pitch a tent!"  
>"What?"<br>"You're pitching a tent", Boone snarled. "I thought this was business between men."  
>Suppressing a hysterical giggle, a completely unfitting response in this situation although probably the most natural, Arcade dragged both hands down his face in a vain attempt to regain his composure upon realising that Boone was right.<br>"Listen, Craig", he began after a moment's hesitation. "It's business between men for you, but in that aspect you're the same as a girl to me and..." He broke off as he saw Boone's face flash white with rage. Going back over the words he just said he realised that they hadn't been the most carefully chosen ones. "I mean..."  
>Boone suddenly had his collar in both hands and pulled him close. His voice was flat and toneless with fury. "I'm not your plaything, Gannon."<br>"Of course not", Arcade replied, pushing Boone's hands away. "Keep your pants on... I mean..." He broke off with a groan. He really was a world champion in careful, delicate negotiation today. Before he could find something to smooth over this second blunder the elevator doors opened.

Tanya looked at them, standing in the kitchen and staring at each other with their faces inches apart, and broke out into a laugh.

"Sorry guys, was I interrupting something?"  
>"No", Boone snarled, while unfortunately, since he still hadn't completely gathered his wits yet, Arcade simultaneously said: "Yes."<br>Tanya broke out into a screeching cackle. "Oh come on, Arcade. Boone's as straight as a rod." She giggled. "Aren't you, Craig?"  
>Boone chose not to comment and only emitted a non-committing grunt.<br>"Listen Arcade", Tanya said after flashing Boone a sweet smile. "Keep your hands of this hottie. I found him first."  
>Arcade could see from the corner of his eyes that Boone suppressed rolling his own. "It's not what you think", he said, but Tanya just laughed again.<br>She walked up to Boone and put her hands on his shoulders. "Craig", she purred. "If he gets too annoying or takes too many liberties, just come to my bed and I'll protect you." Then she patted his cheek.  
>Boone grunted again and pulled back. "I'd rather not."<br>Tanya chuckled. "You need to loosen up, Craig."

After looking back and forth between the two a few times, Tanya finally sat down onto the table, her legs dangling down. As usual she wore an outfit that was a mix between what was known as a charmer outfit and a prostitute attire she had gotten god knows where. She probably thought it looked sexy, and a lot of other men thought that as well, but to Craig Boone it looked rather vulgar. Far too revealing. Spelling slut in every language there was. The silence grew to an uncomfortable level in the kitchen until Arcade picked up his glasses.  
>Tanya looked back and forth between the two men-turned-pillars of salt again. "Are you all right?"<br>Arcade cleared his throat.  
>"Don't tell me this was serious." She gave him a stare that reminded Arcade of pictures he'd seen in old pre-war books about reptiles. An unblinking stare he couldn't avoid, and it always made him feel as if he was looking at something dangerous disguised as something pretty. It was in moments like this when he couldn't ignore she had a few screws loose, but if that was a legacy from the headshot or just the way she was would forever remain a mystery. Fact was that she had some serious issues, and her snake-like stare was one of the worst. While he was desperately trying to think of an answer, Boone saved him.<br>"If it was, what business of yours is it anyway?", he said.  
>Tanya shifted her stare to him, but it took a lot more than a cold stare to throw Craig Boone of his tracks. He crossed his arms, and the staring match continued for a while until Tanya broke the eye contact first and hopped down from the table. "I'll be gone a few days", she snarled and was out of the door and into the elevator in ten seconds flat.<p>

Arcade exhaled in a sharp huff of breath, not aware he'd been holding it.  
>"She sure can be a piece of work", Boone remarked casually, staring at the elevator door. "She's sweet enough most times, but she doesn't get what she wants..."<br>"Yes", Arcade said slowly.  
>The two men looked at each other, a look of insecurity mingled with worry.<br>"And now?", Arcade said.  
>Boone shrugged. "Now we've got a few days of breathing space 'til she comes back."<br>"I'm a little worried that this trip might turn out to be a campaign to win you back, Craig."  
>The look Boone gave him at that suggested the sniper had thought along those lines, too.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

His feet propped up on a table Boone was sitting on a sofa in the cocktail longue, staring out of the window at the faraway mountains. Tanya had been gone for four days and she could be back any time now. It wasn't that he didn't like her, quite the contrary actually. He was impressed by her ruthless efficiency as a killer of Legionaries and it had taken her no more than a couple of weeks to learn everything about being a sniper that he could teach her. What was bothering him about her was her attitude towards men in general and him in particular. She wasn't his type, and not only because he didn't think her sexually attractive.

It was the way she looked at men that was upsetting. A hungry, predatory look paired with a sinister self-indulgence as if she had every right in hell to take any man she fucking pleased. And she didn't take no for an answer, which was probably what had made her knock her arrow for Boone.

In moments like this he wondered what had made Carla knock her arrow for him. Made her marry him. She'd never been happy since he got her out of the Strip, although that was what she'd wanted all along.  
>He took a sip of beer. And if it was really true and she had only used him to get out of there? It wouldn't make a fucking bit of a difference. Whatever her intentions, he had loved her, and she was dead, so that was all there was to say to it. And after so long a time, he suddenly discovered that in the place where the pain had been when he remembered her there was nothing but a hollow, empty spot. He probed it a bit with his mental fingers, but it stayed stubbornly numb. He tried to summon the feelings of loss and pain again with summoning all the pictures in his mind he had of her, to no avail. All that remained was a faint sense of loss. A strangely final feeling of farewell. He stared at the sinking sun wondering if that was good or bad.<p>

Remembering Carla made him also remember Manny, and the pang of regret he still felt at how their friendship had broken after he'd married Carla. He and Manny had been the best of buddies, always spending their days of leave together. Drinking and doing... silly shit.  
>Most of that silly shit had been just silly, but there were a few things he hadn't even told Carla, because he was too embarrassed about it.<p>

His musings were interrupted at that point by the sound of the elevator door, but even as he stiffened he realised that the steps he heard were those of a tall man and not of a woman. He relaxed and wondered, as he thought of Arcade and the prank they were trying to pull through, if he would be able to do some of that shit again completely sober and in cold blood. No way to find out but to try.

Upon entering the cocktail bar Arcade had immediately spotted Boone and walked up to him, but something about his posture made him advance cautiously. "Hi." He cleared his throat. "If you'd rather be alone, just say so."  
>Boone contemplated this and realised that if he sad yes now, then doubtlessly Arcade would just leave him, as opposed to Tanya who doubtlessly would try to badger him into some sort of deeply emotional empty-your-soul-to-me conversation. "I'm fine."<br>Arcade sat down next to him, but when he looked at Boone he realised the sniper had the look of a man who had discovered some very unpleasant truths about himself. "Are you all right?"  
>Boone just shrugged.<br>"Anything I can help you with?"  
>"Don't think so."<br>Arcade looked out of the panorama windows at the mountains, too. Both men were silent for a long while as Boone contemplated his empty bottle and Arcade nursed a bottle of sarsaparilla.

"I just discovered Carla's gone", Boone finally said.  
>Arcade blinked a few times and looked at him, but Boone just stared at his bottle. "I mean, she's not here anymore. I've been carrying her memory with me for so long now... and now she's gone. There's an empty spot where she used to be. Like... an empty bed, but there's still a dent in the pillow... fuck it, I don't make any sense."<br>"I think you do", Arcade gave back and leant a little forward. "But is it good or bad?"  
>Boone shrugged.<br>Arcade let the matter rest and they emptied their drinks in silence before returning to the suite for the night.

**LJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJ**

Trying to find ways to fight the boredom befalling anyone sitting in the Lucky38 who didn't have a head for gambling and whoring, Boone asked Arcade the next evening if he fancied a round of pool, to which the latter replied that he was probably as apt at playing pool as a drunken brahmin was.  
>Boone had actually chuckled at this reply, making Arcade's eyebrows rise far above the rim of his glasses, and had told him he'd teach him, if he'd like.<br>So now they were standing at the pool table with Boone leaning half over Arcade and guiding his hands holding the cue.

"Aim lower", he said. "And don't use it like a hammer. Just a nudge."  
>Trying to follow Boone's instructions, Arcade gave the ball a nudge. It moved about an inch. "I guess that was too soft a nudge", he said dryly.<br>Bone snorted under his breath and adjusted Arcade's arms. Taking both his wrists he moved the cue and the ball hit the one he was aiming for neatly, making it roll into the hole as if dragged by an invisible rope.  
>"I don't think I'll be able to figure this out", Arcade said with a small pout.<br>"If you think that, then you sure as fuck won't", Boone replied and took the cue. Leaning over the table he squinted, aimed and shot, knocking three balls into two holes in a single move.  
>"Show-off."<br>Boone squinted up at him, but Arcade grinned.  
>"Practise", the sniper replied.<br>"I know." Arcade took the offered cue and tried again, listening to Boone's advice. He missed thoroughly and almost punched a hole into the fabric covering the table. With a suppressed curse, Arcade straightened up again.  
>"You are too tense", Boone said. "Try again."<br>Arcade sighed inwardly but to humour him, he tried again. Boone took his hand holding the cue. "Relax your hand", he said. "Don't hold the thing like a club. Relax your fingers. Like you would..." He broke off and cleared his throat. "Not too firm, not too loose", he said. "Like your dick when you want to jerk off."  
>Arcade froze, not knowing if he should laugh or not. In the end, he settled for a grin and looked up at Boone whose face looked even more stony than usual.<br>"Rather like having sex, then, isn't it?", he asked. "You've got a long, hard stick and aim for holes."  
>Boone grunted something non-committing as he took the cue and knocked another ball home without even properly aiming.<p>

Arcade took the cue again and leaned forward when they heard the elevator door. They exchanged a harried glance but then Boone, his face still chiselled from granite, shrugged and put a hand on Arcade's shoulder, stepping so close to him that their thighs were pressed together. Thinking of holding the cue like his dick in this particular situation did strange things to Arcade's mind, but for some reason, it worked. He aimed, hit home with a satisfying click and the ball vanished into the hole.  
>"See", was all that Boone said.<br>Arcade nodded and tried to ignore the heat in his face when Boone ran a hand down his back, all casually, as Tanya stepped into the room. She stared at them for a moment before smiling, yet her smile seemed a little strained.  
>"Hi guys", she said. "Fancy a tour on the Strip tonight? Been lucky lately, and got lots of caps to spare."<br>The two men exchanged a glance.  
>"Nah", Arcade said. "You know I'm not the gambling type."<br>Boone just shook his head. "Not in the mood."  
>Tanya nodded, looked back and forth between them, then sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Slowpokes."<p>

With that she vanished into her room where she rummaged around for a bit while the men got back to their game. When she emerged again and said goodbye Boone made another point of leaning over Arcade to guide his move, leaning so close to him their faces almost touched. This gesture looked so intimate that it had the desired effect: Tanya snorted angrily and vanished into the elevator without another word.

"Seems to be working", Boone said after a moment, when they were sure the elevator had reached the casino level.  
>"The question is: For how long will we have to keep this up?"<br>"We'll see."  
>"At one point she has to catch us in the act, though", Arcade said thoughtfully. "Otherwise she'll smell the rat."<br>Boone very slowly turned around and Arcade was suddenly reminded of old books about Greek legends in general and the legend of Medusa and her stare that turned people into stone in particular.  
>"Kissing", he said hastily. "I was talking about kissing, for god's sake, Boone, stop looking at me like that."<br>"Yeah", Boone replied slowly. "I know."  
>Trying to shrug off the feeling that he'd just escaped a very unpleasant death by a hair's breadth Arcade tried to smile. "It's only for show."<br>Boone didn't relax.  
>With a sigh, Arcade straightened up and pushed his glasses up. "One thing though about kissing, though", he said levelly and looked squarely into Boone's eyes. "I don't want you to freak out on me and strangle me because of my body's reactions when we get... physical."<br>The stare Boone gave him was intimidating, to say the least.

"Look", Arcade went on. "Try to walk in my shoes for a minute, if you will. Imagine it was me, being in your predicament. Imagine it was you helping me out. And now imagine how it would feel to you if I was a girl."  
>A long pause followed his words until Boone finally nodded. "I see", he said in a low voice. "And you still want to go through with this?"<br>Arcade smiled. "Since I cannot possibly abandon you to your fate... yes."  
>"Huh." Boone walked over to the fridge and took two bottles of beer. He offered Arcade one who took it, then they settled down in the kitchen and shared a silent drink.<p>

Boone set the emptied bottle onto the table with a very decisive movement. "We gotta practise this."  
>Arcade froze, bottle halfway up to his mouth. "Uhm?"<br>"Kissing", Boone said, as if he was talking to a half-wit. "If she's supposed to watch us, then it'd better not look like we're trying this for the first time, ain't?"  
>"Uhm." Arcade carefully set his bottle down. "Yes."<br>They both stood up, moving somewhat awkwardly. Facing each other they hesitated again until Arcade got a grip on himself and, cupping Boone's face in his hands, leaned forward to kiss him.

Their glasses collided with a clink.

Both men snorted and leaned back. Arcade cleared his throat, couldn't suppress a chuckle, and Boone's mouth actually twitched into the ghost of a smile for a split-second.  
>"Okay", Arcade said. "Let's try that one again. Can you imagine what Tanya would have said if she had seen that?"<br>"Yeah", Boone replied dryly. "But I don't want to."  
>Arcade chuckled again and rolled his shoulders. "Let's do this properly, this time." With that he leaned forward, tilted his head and met Boone's lips with his. To say the sniper was stiff as wood would have been a bad pun as much as the truth as Boone certainly didn't move a single muscle. Arcade straightened up with a sigh.<br>"Look", he said as gently as he could. "If you freeze over like that it's not even going to fool a blind man in a tunnel at night. I mean..." He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Maybe it helps if you pretend I'm a girl?"  
>Boone lifted his eyebrows. "Yeah. A girl with designer stubble, sure thing."<br>Rolling his eyes Arcade took a step back and dropped his hands. "I seriously don't know what else to try, Craig, really."  
>Boone looked away, then slowly took his sunglasses off, folded them with a neat, precise flick of his fingers and placed them on the table. When he faced Arcade again his demeanour was decisive and determinate. He took a step forward, took Arcade's face in his hands and kissed him. Properly.<p>

When he leaned back Arcade gasped for air and frankly stared at Boone, his glasses slightly askew. "Uhm..." He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Wow."  
>Boone crossed his arms and took back, eyeballing Arcade as if he expected to be assaulted, thrown over the table and... Arcade stopped his musings here, but he had to use some force of will to do it.<br>"That'll do?"  
>"Yes", Arcade said and swallowed. "I guess that will do."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting on his bed a few days later Arcade wondered when his world had went completely haywire and decided it was the day he and Boone had practised pool.

_Shying away from things again, are you, _he thought wryly.

They had practised kissing that night, too. Simply playing pool wouldn't have sent his mind reeling like that.  
>It was getting more and more difficult for him to keep this up, he realised, because at some point during that evening, while playing pool and drinking beer...<p>

_...and kissing, you stupid coward... _

...he had realised that it wasn't completely business anymore. Not for him. He had the distinct feeling Boone should know about this, but he was also sure he'd recoil in revulsion once he knew. And Arcade couldn't really stomach the thought of Boone being put off by him. In addition to that it would destroy their ruse and leave Boone precisely where he had been two weeks before when Arcade had made this simple and innocent enough proposition. Who could've thought it wouldn't stay businesslike?

A knock on the door interrupted his unpleasant thoughts and Arcade looked up to see the object of his... musings hovering in the doorframe.

"Come in, Craig."  
>He closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall with crossed arms.<br>"What can I do for you?"  
>Boone remained silent, but in his face a few muscles twitched. By now Arcade recognised that behaviour as him trying to sort out his thoughts. He seemed to have something on his mind, maybe wanted to get something off his chest, and didn't know how to go about it. Arcade looked patiently up at him.<br>Finally Boone dropped his arms and shoved his hands into his pockets.  
>"I told you about Manny."<br>Arcade nodded, mildly mystified. "He was your best friend before... you met Carla", he said cautiously.  
>Boone nodded in return. "The thing is..." He stared at his feet for a moment. "I sometimes think he's a fag, too."<br>Not quite knowing what to say to this Arcade just raised his eyebrows. It took Boone a few moments before he could go on.  
>"I never quite understood why we..." He gritted his teeth for a second. "We were best buddies, you know. Snipers work in pairs. Got each other's backs. And then I met Carla, and he..." With a toss of his head Boone stared at the ceiling. "He turned bitter. I didn't understand. But then... he might've just been jealous."<br>Trying to keep his face calm and neutral, Arcade nodded while he feverishly wished for a change of topic. Talking to Boone about past lovers wasn't something he felt he could stomach right now after his unpleasant discoveries about himself and his own feelings.

"I lost Manny 'cause of Carla and..." Boone broke off and finally looked at Arcade for the first time in their conversation. "I think he had a thing for me. And I don't wanna lose you too over something like it."  
>Arcade felt as if he'd just swallowed something bitter. Oh yes, ye good olde Let's remain Friends. How he hated that number. Before he could think of something to say, however, Boone went on, his voice even stonier than usual.<br>"I might've encouraged him, you know. We did... silly shit. We were on leave, and drunk, and on the Strip, and... you know. Things happened."  
>Not intending to let him get away with that despite the torture he put himself under with this Arcade leaned forward and asked: "What kind of... things?"<br>The twitch in Boones face suggested the sniper was mentally squirming like a worm in the sun. "Silly things men do when they're drunk."  
>Arcade crossed his arms and Boone emitted an angry grunt. "I don't see why I should humiliate myself with telling you."<br>"You started this conversation", Arcade gave back mildly. "I think you should go all the way."  
>"Huh." Boone almost smiled. "Got you."<p>

Yet it took him several minutes before he spoke again. "If you ever tell anyone this, I'll kill you myself", he said.

"Now listen", Arcade began, but Boone held up a hand.  
>"Sorry. I know." He cleared his throat. "Manny and me... we would... I mean, we seldom had the cash for whores to spare, so we shared, kinda. Now and then."<br>Being in unchartered territory here Arcade just continued to listen, summoning patience.  
>"But you know, sharing a woman and all that... I mean, I didn't get it at first, but the second time I realised he was more interested in my body than in hers. That's how I found out." He scratched his neck. "What was bothering me..." He scratched his chin. "What was bothering me more was... that it wasn't bothering me."<br>He glared at Arcade as if daring him to laugh. Arcade, of course, did nothing of the sort. He was busily trying to calm his increasingly accelerating heartbeat.  
>"And then, couple of days later, we found us a private spot to smoke and he said he wanted to jerk me off." He scratched his cheek. "Kept calling me 'sir' the whole time."<br>Arcade was very grateful for his spacious lab coat. It could hide a multitude of sins, and presently, did exactly that.  
>"Next day we had the evening off. Went and got hammered. Then I... returned the favour. I think that did it for him. Then he wanted to give me a blow job, but I couldn't do that. Next day I met Carla." Boone stared at his hands for a moment. "Manny was pissed. But... I loved Carla." His voice suddenly rose. "I loved her, for fuck's sake. She wasn't a trophy wife!" With these last words he hammered his fist against the wall and the ancient plaster rained down on him in a sprinkle of dust.<p>

Arcade stared open-mouthed at Boone for a couple of seconds until he realised what had been said and what the meaning of these words was. So that was where it had all gone wrong. He slowly got up from the bed and summoned his wits and his voice under control.  
>"Craig", he said gently. "Did Manny suggest you took Carla because you couldn't, or wouldn't, admit you're gay?"<br>Boone gave him the Medusa stare again for a second before replying. "He did."  
>The silence in the room was so heavy you could have cut it into bits and carry it outside.<br>"I'm not a fag", Boone finally said, his voice almost hoarse. "I loved Carla."  
>"You surely did", Arcade said conciliatory. "But you enjoyed what... you and Manny did, too, I gathered?"<br>It took Boone a while to answer and when he did, he avoided Arcade's eyes. "Yeah. But that doesn't make me a fag."

If Arcade hadn't been so emotionally involved he would have found Boone's denial almost comical. As it was, it was a rather bittersweet chuckle that escaped him. "Oh Craig, have you never heard of bisexuality?"  
>Boone looked up sharply. "What?"<br>Arcade was baffled and needed a few moments to rally himself. "You haven't heard that word before?"  
>The sniper shook his head before staring at his feet again and for a second Arcade didn't know if he should laugh or cry. He did neither and, after pushing his glasses up his nose, took a deep breath. "Bisexual means you're attracted to both genders. As simple as that."<br>Boone looked up very, very slowly.  
>Arcade in turn could just shrug.<p>

For a moment neither of them said a word until finally, after what seemed like a small eternity, Boone took off his sunglasses and placed them on the dresser beside him. "What the fuck am I gonna do now?"  
>Arcade swallowed and pushed his glasses up again. "What seems to be the problem?"<br>"It took you five seconds to figure out what I couldn't in five years."  
>"Uhm." Arcade tried to suppress a grin. "Glad to have helped."<br>Boone looked up again with a twitch at the corner of his mouth and Arcade felt his heartbeat pick up speed again. "Craig", he said then. "I don't know..." Here he broke off because Boone took a step forward.  
>"I just wanted to clear things up", he said. "Because you pop a boner every time we kiss."<br>"We talked about this", Arcade gave back, close to panic. "I mean..."  
>"Yeah", Boone interrupted him. "We did. The thing is just..." He looked away for a second before meeting Arcade's eyes again. "You're not the only one who does."<br>Feeling a bit as if someone was trying to pull the ground away under his feet Arcade took a small step back. "Oh?", was the only thing he could think of.

Looking down Boone leaned back against the wall, his hands hanging loosely down by his side. He seemed to wait for something but it took Arcade a moment to realise he was most likely waiting for him to do something, take the initiative, or maybe say something a bit more substantial and with a bit more meaning than the single syllable he had uttered.  
>And yet, he also felt that if he said one wrong word, made one false move, then Boone would simply bolt and he would never get another chance to touch him. The suspension was causing his stomach to churn.<p>

Boone obviously misinterpreted his silence as he suddenly pushed himself off the wall. "Well, that's settled, I guess", he said hesitatingly and was about to head for the door when Arcade forced himself into action. He put a hand on Boone's shoulder and the other man froze.  
>"Wait a second, Craig."<br>Boone turned around again and Arcade slowly put his other hand on Boone's other shoulder. "I have troubles keeping up with you", he said with a smile. "And I'm still not quite sure what you want me to do... if you want me to do anything at all, that is."  
>Boone shrugged. "I thought you knew what to do."<br>Arcade could not suppress a nervous little chuckle. "I normally do, Craig. But normally I find myself in these situations with people who know their mind and have not just stepped out of their own personal hellhole of a closet."  
>With a glint in his eyes Boone looked up at him and squared his shoulders. "Pretend I didn't."<br>Arcade narrowed his eyes in turn. "Is that a dare?" He leaned a little forward and Boone moved his head a little back until it rested against the wall.  
>"You want this, don't you", Boone said in a low voice, but it didn't sound like a question. "Might as well return a favour."<br>Arcade in turn slowly tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he felt a nasty little suspicion rise up in his mind. "Wait a minute", he said. "Are you... offering yourself? As... as a payment for our little... arrangement?" He violently shook his head. "Forget it. I did it to do you a favour, not to expect any kind of payment and surely not... that. I don't take sex as payment, ever. Period."  
>Boone stared at him out of unreadable eyes.<br>"No", Arcade went on. As much as he wanted this, he had his standards. "The only thing in terms of... payment... I'd ever accept would be a beer."  
>Boone nodded, pushed himself off the wall and was out of the door in seconds.<p>

With a deep and heartfelt groan Arcade fell back onto the bed and buried his face in his hands. But just as he was about to wonder if it was worth it losing his dignity and pride and throwing himself facedown onto the bed to bawl into his pillows like a little girl the door opened again and in came Boone, bearing two bottles of beer. He sat down onto the bed beside Arcade, offered him one after popping the cap and opened his own.  
>Arcade took the beer with trembling fingers and stared at Boone, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.<br>They drank for a while in silence until Boone knocked his beer back a final time to set the empty bottle down beside his feet. Arcade did the same and looked at the sniper again who, in turn, stared ahead at the wall.

"So..." Arcade began, always a master at small talk.  
>Boone shrugged. "That was the beer, then."<br>"Yes?"  
>Boone finally looked up. "Payment", he said simply, as if that would explain everything. Arcade was still puzzling over this when Boone leaned towards him, his face unreadable. It was then that it finally sunk in.<br>"Uhm." He pushed his glasses up. "Do I get this right? The beer as payment and everything that... happens after..." He trailed off because Boone was leaning even closer.  
>"Yes", was all he said.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Shaking his head in mild disbelief but not intending to question his luck Arcade shed his lab coat, dropped it and pulled his legs up onto the bed to kneel behind Boone, cautiously resting his hands onto Boone's shoulders. "Are you sure about this?", he asked softly and leaned his head forward.  
>"No", was the reply, but he leaned back into Arcade and rested his head on the doctor's shoulder. "But I gotta find out."<br>"Well at least you're honest", Arcade gave back with a chuckle and ran his hands down Boone's arms, then squeezed his hands, a gesture which the sniper returned, and finally rested his hands on Boone's stomach, shortly above the waistline. When he began to tug his shirt out of his pants Boone turned his head so his face rested against Arcade's neck. Arcade felt his heartbeat pick up speed again and carefully slid his hands under Boone's shirt. Boone drew a sharp breath but otherwise, didn't move.  
>After a few moments of being caressed however he pushed himself off Arcade, kicked off his boots and climbed onto the bed as well. He swallowed once, then pulled his shirt up and over his head and tossed it aside.<br>Arcade stared wistfully ad the snipers finely shaped, muscular body before Boone leaned forward and with slow, deliberate movements began to unbutton Arcade's shirt.

His breathing becoming increasingly ragged with every passing heartbeat Arcade watched Boone's face but the other man's expression was utterly blank. He tugged Arcade's shirt out of his pants and with what seemed to be a tiny smile, pushed it down his shoulders. With his arms still in the shirtsleeves the shirt now hung down at his belt and Arcade wished he could just throw Boone down on his back, tear those goddamn pants off him and do unspeakable things to him for hours, but he held back because he knew Boone had to be the one setting the pace.

Boone in turn leaned forward again and, with a surprisingly gentle touch, took off Arcade's glasses and placed them onto the nightstand.

With his vision slightly blurry, his frantic heartbeat and a mild feeling of dizziness Arcade could have well believed in was in a state of trance as Boone closed his arms around him and their bodies touched, bare chest against bare chest, skin on skin, and he let his head drop onto the sniper's shoulder when Boone, breathing heavily himself, unbuckled Arcade's belt.

Arcade ran his hands up Boone's back and rested them on his shoulders after lifting his head again. Boone's facial expression was difficult to read, but his heavy breaths and slightly parted lips spoke a language of their own. Arcade claimed these lips with his own, resting one of his hands on the back of the sniper's neck as he let his tongue run across his lips. After a few seconds, Boone opened his lips to him and Arcade couldn't suppress a soft moan when Boone simultaneously closed his hand around the firm and hot bulge in Arcade's boxers. With a fluid, practised movement Arcade opened Boone's cargos and was just about to slip his fingers behind the waistband when someone knocked on the door.

Yet Tanya never waited for an answer but on principle just walked in after she had knocked. Her voice rang brightly before petering out into a stutter. "Hey guys, you really can drop this silly pretend... play... uhm... am I... interrupting... sorry." With a few more muttered apologies she hastily retreated and closed the door again.

The two men exchanged a harried glance, but then Boone shrugged. Having walked in on them kneeling on the bed and kissing feverishly with bare chests and their hands in each other's pants, and behind a closed door to boot, would have hopefully, finally convinced her to knock it off. Arcade came to the same conclusion and gave the other man a crooked smile.

"Where were we?", he said as he slung an arm around Boone's neck.  
>"You were trying to eat my tonsils."<br>Arcade snorted and leaned back again. "Is there something wrong with the way I kiss?"  
>Boone flashed him a tiny, lopsided smile for a split-second, gone so fast that Arcade wasn't sure if he had really seen it. He didn't have any time to dwell on that, though, as within the next split second Boone pulled him close and, with his hands on the doctor's cheeks, kissed him so long and hard that Arcade had to break free for air with a gasp after a moment.<br>Looking at Boone again with a breathless little chuckle Arcade ran a hand through his hair. "I see you are quickly getting the hang of it."  
>Boone in turn looked at Arcade under lowered eyelids with the left corner of his mouth curved ever so slightly upward.<br>"Not to freak you out", Arcade said in a low voice and ran a hand down Boone's chest, drawing his fingers up again along his breastbone, past his collarbone and caressed the sniper's left ear. "But you are tantalisingly sexy when you look at me like that."  
>As an answer, Boone emitted a surprisingly amused, low chuckle.<p>

Smiling beyond his ability to stop it and hoping it didn't turn into an idiotic grin Arcade then slowly reached out and plucked the beret off Boone's head. The sniper looked at him, eyebrows twitching, but that smile, or almost-smile, stayed where it was. As Arcade had never seen Boone without the beret he seemed almost more naked without this than without his shirt, and it felt, in a strange and pleasant and completely unfamiliar way more arousing to see him bareheaded than it would be seeing him without his trousers.  
>Boone reached out and took the beret out of Arcade's hands, and even as the doctor was about to apologize for a breach of manners Boone leaned over and placed the beret firmly on Arcade's head, tugging it into place with a practised move.<br>Arcade lifted his eyebrows, a memory of Boone's words about Manny and what he had done in that quit corner crossing his mind, but before he could say anything Boone straightened up.

"Permission to kiss you, sir?"  
>Arcade swallowed a lump in his throat, then noticed the twinkle in Boone's eyes. It seemed the sniper had noticed Arcade's distress when he had mentioned that incident earlier.<br>Unable not to play along although he felt a bit silly, Arcade nodded. "Granted", he said, and noticed his voice was more than a little unsteady.  
>Boone in turn seemed more and more comfortable in the situation because he cupped Arcade's face in both his hands in one smooth move and kissed him with a passion that caught Arcade by surprise. He could only open his lips, his breathing already hard and fast.<br>Arcade couldn't suppress a shudder when Boone's lips brushed past his ear. "Awaiting orders. Sir."  
>His mouth almost to dry to speak Arcade more croaked than whispered. "For god's sake, Craig, I can't seriously order you around in bed..."<br>"You'll have to." Boone almost chuckled. "Sir."  
>Trying to get a grip on himself Arcade took the beret off.<br>Boone leaned back and tilted his head a bit.  
>"Craig..." Arcade ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Not that I really mind but... I'm a bit surprised. This is going... rather fast, considering what you've just told me..."<br>Boone pressed his lips together for a moment before he shrugged. "The way you explained it, it seemed to be okay."  
>"But..." Taking another deep breath to steady himself, Arcade fiddled with the rim of the beret in his hands. "Are you okay with this? I mean..."<br>"If I wasn't, think I'd have done this?"  
>"To be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure any more what to think."<br>"Huh." Boone seemed the slightest bit amused. "Maybe thinking's not what you should be doing in moments like this."  
>"I can't help it", Arcade gave back dryly. "I just don't want you to realise you've manoeuvred yourself into a situation you've no mind to be in and bolt on me."<br>"Bit late for that, don't you think?" Boone narrowed his eyes the slightest bit.  
>"Have I tied you down?"<br>Boone looked pointedly at his arms. "No", he said.  
>"So you could bolt any time you want. Not that I want you to. But if..."<br>"But I don't want to", Boone said in what almost sounded like exasperation. "Yeah, I'm not sure what's gonna happen, but..." he shrugged. "Just tell me what to do. I think it'll be all right."

They looked at each other in heavy silence.

"Just tell me what to do", Boone said again after a moment. It almost sounded like a plead.  
>"That's the way you want it?" Arcade ran a hand down Boone's cheek and the sniper nodded.<br>"Yes. Sir."  
>Deciding for his sake to play along Arcade put the beret back on and took a deep breath. Well, maybe not only for Boone's sake. The painfully hard erection threatening to rip his boxer shorts apart at the seams had maybe something to do with it, too. Just a little. "Help me out of those pants", he said in a low voice.<br>"Yes, sir", Boone replied and his hands were already unbuckling Arcade's belt.  
>Finally feeling Boone's hands, rough and calloused but warm and surprisingly gentle, where he wanted them most made Arcade almost faint from the sensation.<br>"Awaiting orders, sir."  
>Arcade gasped for air. "We have to stop that silly game, Craig. Please. It's getting too hard to resist the temptation of just ordering you to suck me off, you know."<br>"That an order, sir?"  
>"No." His eyes fell on Boone's face and the way he ran a tongue across his lips made Arcade falter and his morals dissolved even more. "Uhm. Would you want to?"<br>Boone just gave him that look again, half lowered eyelids and almost-smile twitching in the corner of his mouth, and Arcade snapped. "Don't make me regret this", he rasped, his voice close to breaking.  
>"That implies an order to suck you off?", Boone asked in a dark, low voice.<br>Arcade could only nod.  
>"Yes, sir."<br>"Craig..." Arcade's vision swam as Boone leaned over his crotch, and moments later the world faded into the background and his whole awareness was reduced to what was going on in his lower body where the hot wetness of a mouth engulfed his throbbing cock while Boone's fingers fondled his balls.

For someone who had never done this before but was probably only repeating what had been done to him Boone made fantastic job. Within minutes Arcade had no more control over the sounds he emitted than he had control over his heartbeat or breathing. It took him all the strength he had left to put his hands on Boone's head and not thrust himself deeper in but push him back.  
>"Hold it", he rasped, his voice trembling. "Craig, give me a moment."<br>Boone leaned back, looking up, and the sensation of his warm tongue being replaced with cool air was like a knife slicing through Arcade's nerves. "'m I doing this wrong?"  
>Arcade shook his head and licked his dry lips. "No... god no... and that's just..." He suppressed a little frustrated whimper when Boone let go of his balls, then swallowed heavily and found it surprisingly hard to meet the sniper's eyes. "I just don't want to... come right down your throat. It's not... everyone's cup of tea and since it's your first..."<br>"You talk too much", Boone said and lowered his head again.  
>Arcade was rendered helpless.<p>

Moments later it was already too late for anything and with a deep, heartfelt groan of utter satisfaction, his conscience being switched off for the moment, Arcade spent himself, dimly aware of Boone's grunt of surprise. Yet the sniper didn't budge an inch and kept on sucking Arcade off until the latter was close to fainting. Unable to hold himself upright any longer Arcade let himself topple down and fell boneless as a rag doll onto his pillow.

Boone beside him looked a strange mixture of self-conscious embarrassed and incredibly pleased with himself. "Any good?"  
>Arcade shook his head with a disbelieving smile. "Can't remember anything better. Honestly."<p>

Boone chuckled under his breath and stretched, arching his back. Arcade couldn't help but stare admiringly at the sniper's finely shaped upper body.  
>"Sure could use a beer right now", Boone said then and cast a look at Arcade. "You up for one, too?" he was already about to get up but Arcade straightened up and gestured at him to stay put.<br>"My turn to get the beer. It's the least I can do."  
>Boone leaned back against the headboard. "Sure you can walk?"<br>Arcade chuckled but discovered that he could, although he had to admit his legs were the slightest bit unsteady. He was about to leave when Boone spoke again, a unmistakable trace of amusement in his voice. "Gannon?"  
>Arcade turned around again.<br>"Maybe you should..." Boone pointed at the doctor's crotch and looking down, the latter realised his cock was still hanging out of his pants. With a self-conscious grin Arcade arranged himself into something vaguely resembling decency and went for the kitchen.  
>Identifying the beers without his glasses took a moment of squinting at each bottle while holding it much closer to his face than he thought was dignifying, but he couldn't be bothered to go back for his glasses.<p>

He was in for a surprise when he came back, though. Boone was still lying on the bed with his upper body resting against the headboard, but he had shed the remainder of his clothes in the meantime and was only clad in his beret that was not resting on his head but on a more... strategic position.

Arcade almost dropped the bottles. "You look extremely fuckable right now", he blurted out and blushed a fierce red when Boone actually laughed. Since it was the first time Arcade heard him laugh at all in all the months he'd known the taciturn man, he was as surprised as he was pleased, and sat down onto the bed to offer Boone one of the beers with a smile.  
>Boone took the bottle, popped the cap and took a sip before asking: "You want to fuck me now?"<br>Arcade froze with the bottle halfway up and swallowed, then decided that the simple truth was something Boone could handle by now. "Yes", he said before taking a sip of his beer.  
>For a second or two, the sniper looked a little uncomfortable. "I heard it hurts the first couple of times, just like it would for a girl." He took a generous draught out of his bottle. "That true?"<br>Trying to keep his voice calm, Arcade shook his head. "Stupid prejudice", he said. "Not if you know what to do."  
>Boone listed his eyebrows. "And you do."<br>Arcade just smiled and took a sip of beer.  
>They drank for a while before Boone broke the silence.<br>"I'm ready to try this, Gannon."  
>Arcade put his beer down and smiled, riding a happy high of hormones and almost two bottles of beer. "You'll like it", he said. "Promised. You'll beg me for more."<br>Boone lowered his eyelids and emptied his bottle. Arcade took it out of his hands, set it aside and leaned over Boone, cupped the sniper's face in his hands and kissed him. Hard.

When he let go of Boone's lips the sniper was breathing a little faster and smiling to himself, Arcade leaned forward again to trail kisses down Boone's chest, his belly, round his navel, over his hips, down his right leg and up again on the inside of his thigh until finally, he slowly lifted the beret off to look at his price before placing a wet and soft kiss onto the sniper's balls. Boone gasped in surprise but at the same time, opened his leg. Arcade chuckled to himself, dropped the beret, licked his lips and set to return the favour.

Boone groaned and dug his hands in Arcade's hair when he engulfed the sniper's cock eagerly, licking up and down the shaft, caressing the glans with his tongue while fondling Boone's balls with cunning, practised fingers. It took Arcade a few moments but he suddenly realised that Boone was not just groaning softly, but that he was whispering the doctor's name.  
>"Arcade..."<br>In all the months, Arcade had only been 'Hey Doc', 'the wimp in the lab coat' or, at best 'Gannon', but hearing the sniper now whisper his name in a voice ragged with arousal made Arcade grow hard as a rock within heartbeats. He leaned back after a placing final, wet kiss on the tip of Boone's dick and straddled the sniper's hips, looking down at Boone's slightly flushed face with a pleased smile. Boone swallowed and looked up at Arcade, and the look in his eyes told the doctor everything he needed to know. He knelt beside him, leaned over to the nightstand and opened a drawer from which he produced a small bottle.

Boone propped himself up on his elbows and gave Arcade a questioning look.  
>"Lubricant", the latter replied in response to the unspoken question. "Turn around."<br>Moving the slightest bit hesitatingly Boone complied and leant onto his elbows.  
>Trying to keep his breathing calm as not to sound like a rutting brahmin bull Arcade dribbled the lubricant onto his finger and knelt behind the sniper. "Relax", he whispered and drew the finger cautiously over the crease between Boone's buttocks. The sniper exhaled sharply but didn't flinch, and when Arcade slipped the finger between the buttocks and, after finding his goal, caressed the spot, Boone breathing hitched. Arcade cautiously slipped the finger inside and Boone emitted a hoarse groan.<br>"Hurt?"  
>The sniper mutely shook his head.<br>Arcade inserted a second finger, gently caressing and moving back and forth, his cock already throbbing and aching again with arousal as if he hadn't just spent himself mere minutes ago. He slowly drew his fingers out and elicited a sharp hiss of breath out of Boone. Closing his hands around the sniper's buttocks Arcade drew himself closer and leaned forward. "Are you ready for me, Craig?"  
>"Yes", was the hissed reply.<br>With slow and careful moves Arcade entered him, unable to suppress a groan himself as Boone under him pressed his face into the pillows to dampen the sounds he made. When Arcade had sheathed himself he was breathing ragged and hard and his voice trembled when he reached out and took Boone by the shoulders. "Straighten up, Craig."  
>Boone did so and pressed his back against Arcade's chest as the latter ran his hands across his body before moving them down to take a firm but gentle grip on the sniper's cock and balls.<p>

When Arcade began to move he slowly moved his hands as well, his hips thrusting in the same rhythm as his hands. Both men were breathing ragged and hard now and every now and then Boone would emit a groan through gritted teeth. It seemed as if he meant to suppress these sounds but was unable to, which turned Arcade on even more. With increasing speed and force in his moves he drove them both further and further towards the edge until with one final groan and thrust, he spent himself for the second time into Boone while the sniper followed him seconds later with his semen squirting over Arcade's hands and coating his belly.

Boone's head fell back on Arcade's shoulder, and the latter could see his adam's apple bob as well as the frantic pulse throb in his jugular vein. He lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on the throbbing spot on the sniper's neck which earned him another sharp intake of breath.

They remained like that for another few, blissful moments before Arcade cautiously and slowly withdrew himself. He let himself fall into the pillows, feeling utterly spent and utterly satisfied and smiled up at Boone was still kneeling and staring down at the doctor with dark and unreadable eyes. Feeling the happy glow in his belly grow cold at the look Arcade was about to sit up again when Boone let out a deep, deep sigh before dropping down beside him.  
>Arcade watched the sniper turn onto his back and cross his arms under his head. "Craig? Are you all right?"<br>Boone turned his head to look at Arcade, a small smile on his lips. "Why shouldn't I be?"

After looking at him for another moment, Arcade felt the smile return to his face. "Indeed. Why shouldn't you be." He settled down again and moved a little closer to Boon so their bodies touched because he wanted to be close but could well imagine the sniper wasn't the cuddling sort. Boone, however, surprised him again with moving an arm out from under his head and draping it around the doctor's shoulders. Arcade dropped his head on Boone's shoulder with a sigh. "You know Craig", he said slowly. "Maybe we should keep the ruse going for a bit longer. For safety's sake, like."  
>Boone stared straight ahead, but his voice held the trace of a smile. "Fine by me."<p> 


End file.
